Needle for repairing runs in knitted goods



Sept. 12, 1933. P, B. EATON I 1,926,271

NEEDLE FOR REPAIRINGRUNS IN KNITTED GOODS- "Filed May 31, 1930 INVEN TOR.

Patented Sept. 12, 1933 UNITED STATES NEEDLE roe aarammc GOODS arms IN KNITTED Paul B. Trum eter-10m, N. Application May 31,-1'930. Serial No. 458,080 is clump, (Cl. 66-117) This invention relates to a hand needle for repairing runs in hosiery and other knitted goods,

andmore especially ,to a needle so constructed as to makeit impossible for the operator to lose the run while repairing the same, as means are provided for detaining the loop thread on the needle until a succeeding cross thread is picked up to ,close the lach to allow the looped thread to slide on over the latch as the needle is so' constructed that in'case a cross thread is not picked up by the needle the looped thread which is on the needle will fail to slide off over the needle and be released by the same so as to insure against the losing of the run.

This application is a continuation in part of the structure shown and described in my copending patent application, Serial No. 397,015,

filed Oct. 3, 1929. p Heretofore it has been the experience in-various types of hand needles for repairing runs inhosiery and other knitted goods, that when the operator has reknit a large portion of the run that the needle will fail to pick up a succeeding cross thread and when the needle is pulled from the fabric the loop thereon will slide 011 the needle and the entire run will reoccur which necessitates the operator going back where the run ceases and reknitting the run, and with my improved needle this will be eliminated as means are provided for holding the looped thread on the needle until a succeeding cross thread is picked up to close the latch to allow the loop thread to slip offthe. needle and to cause the needle to form a loop with the cross thread which has been picked up to close the latch to allow thelooped thread which is on the needle to slide of! said needle.

Heretofore in needles of this type the operation has been that the looped thread opens the latch 40 and also closes the latch and if the hook fails to pick up the next adjacent cross thread the loop will-slide over the needle and the run will be lost and will unravel down .to the starting point or probably beyond. By providinga needle having a sliding latch adapted to be opened by the loop thread, and being adapted to be closed 7 die picks up the next succeeding cross thread this thread will close the latchand allow the loop to slide off over the needle ready for the formation of another loop by the cross thread which is picked up.

Some of the objects of my invention having been stated other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure his a side elevation of my needle with a portion thereof broken away;

Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevation lot the sliding latch contained within the tubular member of the needle;

Figure 4 is a view showing the needle in operation.

Referring more specifically to the drawing I provide a tubular member 10 which has the sloping portion ll-and with a hook member 12 and in the inner face of the end portion of this hook member I provide a guideway 13 and to the rear of the sloping portion 11, I provide the oppositely sloping portion 14 and the shoulder portion 15 and the sides are filed away as at 16 to lessen the cross diameter of the tubular member. The tubular member 10 also has the slots 17 and 18 therein in which a pin 19 which pierces the latch member 20 is adapted to have sliding movement. This latch member 20 is prevented from turning by means of the pin 19 and the slots 17 and 18. Latch member 20 also has the shoulde'rportion 21 thereon which normally does not perform any function, and the pin member 22 is secured in the flattened portion 23, said pin 22 being adapted to be engaged by the, looped thread to open the latch.

This latch also has the cavity 25 in the sloping face portion 26, and the latch member has the hook 27 thereon with a projection 28 on the end thereof which is adapted to have sliding movement in the guideway l3. v

The sloping portion 14 is provided for retarding downward movement of the looped thread 32 as the needle is being raised out of the fabric so enough tension will be applied by the pickedv up cross thread to the hook 27, to close the latch before the looped thread slides over sloping portion In' the drawing shown in Figure 4. I indica the cross threads by the reference characters 30 and 31 while the looped thread is indicated by the reference character 32. It is there seen that the needle-is in the course of being withdrawn from the knitted fabric'and the looped thread 32 has been forced up over the sliding portion 11 and engaged by the sloping portion 14 and has already engaged the pin 22. to open the latch, and when the cross thread 31 is engaged by the hook 27 the latch member will be closed by causing the point,

of hook 12 to sink into cavity 25 and close the latch so as to allow the looped thread32 to slide off over the latch, it being evident that if the operator fails to pick up a cross thread such as 31 that the latch will remain in open position due to the fact that the looped thread 32 will not be in contact with the latch 20, but will be resting against pin 22 to open the latch but will not engage the latch in any manner to close the same and therefore this latch must be closed by cross thread 31.

A suitable handle member 36 is adapted to be secured to the tubular member 10 in order to facilitate the operation of the device.

In the drawing and specification I have set forth a preferred embodiment of my invention, and although specific terms are employed,'they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only,

*iery and other knitted goods, a member, a hook on the lower end of said member, a sliding latch mounted in said member, the lower end of the latch projecting into said hook, a hook on the lower end of said latch, means on the latch adapted to be engaged by a thread to slide said latch I to open the same, said hook on said latch being adapted to be engaged by another thread to close the latch and means on saidmember for retarding the movement of said first thread in one direction as it moves on said member.

2. In a needle for repairing runs in hosiery and other knitted goods, at hooked member, a

latch slidablein said hooked member and exed to be engaged by another thread to close said latch.

3. A needle comprising a member having at one end thereof a hook, a sliding latch mounted in said member, means on said latch adapted to be engaged by a thread to move the latch to open position with relation to said hook, other means on said latch adapted to be engaged by another thread to move the latch to closed position, and means on the member for retarding the movement of the first thread in one direction while the second thread is closing the latch.

4. A needle for repairing runs in hosiery and other knitted goods provided with a sliding latch, a hook on said needle,a hook on said sliding latch operatively mounted in the first hook, means on the sliding latch adapted to be engaged bya looped thread to open the sliding latch with relation to the first hook, means on the latch adapted to be engaged by the looped thread to 'hold the latch in open position, the second hook being adapted to be engaged by a thread to close the same before the loop can be released from the needle.

5. A needle comprising a handle portion and an operatively connected hook portion, and a sliding latch member, means on the latch member adapted to engage a thread whereby the latch may be moved to open position with reference to said hook, means on said latch. member whereby a cross thread must move the latch to closed position with reference to said hook before the first thread can be released from said hook.

6. A needle for repairing runs in a knitted fabric having a hook anda sliding latch member extending into said hook, means on said latch member adapted to be engaged by a thread to move the latch to open position with reference to said hook when the needle is first inserted into the fabric and means on said latch adapted to be engaged by an unlooped thread before the first thread can be released from said hook.

7. The improved method of repairing runs or ravellings in a fabric which consists in stretching the fabric over a suitable holder. inserting a repairing device having a hook and a sliding latch through the loop formed in the run or ravelling, continuing this movement on through the run or ravelling until the loop has slid back on the latch to engage means thereon to open the same with reference to said hook, then reversing the movement of the device through the loop, catching the next forward thread in a hook on the lower end of said latch to move the latch against the point of the hook to close the latch as the device is withdrawn upwardly to cause the loop to slide off over the lower end of the device, the thread caught in the hook on the latch thereupon forming a new loop, taking the place of the firstnamed loop, then repeating the above described operation until the run or ravelling has been repaired and secured at its end.

8. A run repair needle comprising a member having a hook and an operatively connected sliding latch member, means on said latch member adapted to be engaged by a thread to move the latch member to open position with reference to said hook, means adapted to be engaged by the thread to hold the latch in open position and means on said latch member adapted to be engaged by another thread to move the latch mem- 5 ber to closed position with relation to said hook in the formation of a single loop.

9. A needle comprising a channeled member having at one end thereof a hook and a sliding latch member in said channeled member, means on said latch member adapted to be engaged by a thread to move the latch member to open position with relation to said hook, other means on said latch adapted to be engaged by said thread to hold the latch in open position and another means on said latch member adapted to be engaged by another thread to move said'latch member to closed position.

10. A needle comprising a member having a hook and'an operatively connected sliding latch member, means on said latch member adapted to be engaged by a thread to open the latch member with reference to said hook as theneedle is first introduced downwardly into the fabric and other means on said -.latch member adapted to be engagedby an unlooped thread to close the said latch member with relation to said hook.

'11. A needle for repairing runs in knitted goods comprising a member having a hook on one end thereof, a latch member slidably mounted with relation to said hook, means on said latch member adapted to be engaged by an unlooped thread to open the latch, and other means on said latch member adapted to be engaged by a cross thread to close the latch member before the unlooped thread can be released from the needle.

12. A needle for repairing runs in hosiery and other knitted goods comprising a member having a hook on one end thereof, a latch member slidably mounted with relation to said first member,

a hook on said latch member adapted to travel in said first hook, means on said latch member for causing the latch to be opened with relation to the hook on the first member by, a looped thread and the latch being adapted to be closed by the next succeeding cross thread before the looped thread can pass oil the needle, and means on the latch member engageable by a looped thread for holding the latch member in open position until the hook'on the latch is engaged by a cross thread.

13. A needle for repairing runs in hosiery and other knitted goods comprising a body member, a hook on the lower end of said body member, a latch member slidably mounted in said body member, a hook on the lower end of said latch member, means on the latch member adapted to be engaged by a thread to open said latch, means on the latch engageable by a looped thread for holding the latch in open position and means on said latch adapted to be engaged by the next succeeding thread to close the latch, in the formation of a single loop.

14. A needle for repairing runs in hosiery and other knitted goods comprising a member having a hook on the lower end thereof an operatively connected sliding latch member, means on said latch member adapted to be engaged by a thread when the needle is pushed thru the goods to open said latch, means on said latch which must be engaged by a forwardly disposed thread to close the latch to allow the first thread to be latch mounted in said needle, means on the latch adapted to be engaged by a thread when the needle is first pushed thru the goods to open said latch with relation to said hook, means on said latch which must be engaged by a forwardly disposed unlooped thread to close the latch before the first can be released from the needle.

16. A run repair needle comprising a member having a hook, a latch member slidably mounted on said member and having a hook thereon extending into the hook on said member, means on the latch member engageable by a thread to move the latch member to open position, with relation to said hook and for holding the latch in open position, the hook on said latch member being engageable by another thread to move the latch to closed position.

' 17. That method of using a knitting needle comprising a shank having a hook and a latch slidable relative to said hook which consists in engaging the upper side of said latch with an unlooped cross thread to slide said latch to closing position relative to said hook. to release the formed loop from the needle and drawing the cross thread through the released loop in thefori.

must be engaged by an unlooped cross thread 1425 to move the latch to closed position relative to said hook before the loop on the needle can be released from the needle. 

